Chapter 1: The Older Population in the United States Flashcards
Describe baby boomers
- born between 1946 and 1964
- more highly educated, healthier, have a high % of women in labour force, hold professional jobs, more diverse than prior cohorts
- “senior boom”
Define demographics
study of populations and their characteristics in a society
Define trends
changes that occur in populations
Define population aging
the aging of an entire population
i.e., declines in birth rates AND death rates
T or F: population aging does not differ from the individual aging process
false
What is the main reason for older populations?
increased life expectancy
Why does the US lag behind in life expectancy?
- poor prenatal and early childhood services
- unhealthy foods and lifestyle
- increasing rates of poverty, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cigarette smoking
- income inequality
Why has life expectancy increased?
- eradication of diseases that cause infant/childhood mortality
- improved sanitation, antibiotics, medical advances
Because people live older today, what are they more likely to live with?
chronic diseases
T or F: females live longer than men
true
Why do females live longer than males?
- biological factors (X chromosomes)
- lifestyle factors (increased preventative health behaviour and decreased risky behaviour)
____ who survive beyond age 85 have fewer chronic illnesses or disabilities
men
Why do elders of colour have lower life expectancy?
health care disparities
- unequal access earlier in life
- inequities as children and young adults in poverty, education, and health care
Define crossover effect
elders of colour who survive beyond age 75 have longer life expectancies after age 75 than their white counterparts
____ women live the longest
Asian American
Define maximum lifespan
the biologically programmed maximum number of years that each species can expect to live
What is the maximum lifespan for humans?
120 years
What is the ideal survival curve or compression of morbidity?
where almost all people would survive to maximum lifespan because chronic disease would be eliminated or managed
What is the “pig in the python” phenomenon?
when bulge of population pyramid moves higher up as older population surpasses younger
Define dependency ratio
the number of people age 65 and older to every 100 people of traditional working age (18-64)
Define support ratio
the relationships between the proportion that is employed (productive) vs not in the workforce (dependent)
T or F: older population is the greatest dependent population
false, those under age 16 are
Define young-old
age 65-74
Define old-old
age 75-84
Define oldest-old
age 85+
Which old cohort is growing most rapidly? (i.e., young-old, old-old, oldest-old)
oldest-old
Define “silver tsunami”
the fact that the growth of the oldest-old has profound consequences for families, health, workforce, politics, housing, etc.
There are more ____ than ____ living to oldest-old
women, men
Who are the oldest old?
- women
- widowed women
- married men
- foreign born
- less education
- lower income (poverty)
- in hospitals and long-term care
The majority of oldest-old rate their health as _____
good or excellent
Define centenarian
those who live to age 100 and older
Most centenarians are…
- healthy, mentally alert, free of major disability, able to perform ADLs
- generally do not suffer from chronic illnesses associated with age
- free from genetic mutations associated with Alzheimer’s
Define super-centenarian
those who live to age 110 and older
Centenarians and super-centenarians have…
fewer chronic illnesses and physical disabilities
Only about ___ of aging is heritable
1/3
Define hardiness
how well an individual copes with disease and stressors (affected by genetics AND past experiences)
Which cohort represents the hardiest segment of their birth cohort?
men who survive to age 90
List behavioural and personality traits central to longevity
- not smoking
- optimism
- humour
- adaptability
- willingness to try new things
- being extroverted and easygoing
- staying lean
The population of age 65 and older is more _____ than any other age group
heterogeneous
The proportion of older persons is predicted to increase at a higher rate for the _____ population than for _____
non-white, non-hispanic white
Which population is defined by “the most invisible of an already invisible minority”?
LGBT elders
Why might the aging experience be more difficult for LGBT elders?
- stigma may result in increased social isolation and mental distress
- disparities in accessing health care
T or F: older adults are evenly distributed
false
Future generations will be _____ educated than their grandparents
better
Define compression of morbidity
long periods of healthy, active, high-quality existence, and short periods of illness and dependency in the last few years of life
How does compression of morbidity minimize premature death?
disease and functional decline are compressed into a brief period of 3-5 years before death
More people will achieve _____ in the future due to healthier lifestyles and better health care during youth
maximum lifespan
T or F: compression of morbidity has not continued
True
Elders of the future will experience _____ dependent life expectancy and _____ active life expectancy
longer, shorter
